When you've acted in a film franchise for many years, it's natural that one would get very close to their castmates. It’s a bonding experience that very few people can relate to and, often, the people you share it with become your closest friends. That was true for the cast of the Harry Potter series who essentially grew up together on the set, due to starting work on 2001's Sorcerer's Stone as tweens. They even almost got tattoos to commemorate their experience. However, Daniel Radcliffe couldn’t commit to getting inked alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, and he had a good (and funny) reason why.
What Was Being Planned For The Group Tattoos?
It's not out of the ordinary for stars to get tattoos to commemorate a movie experience, especially those who are part of a long-running franchise. The main cast of the Avengers all got matching tatts after Avengers: Endgame, except for Mark Ruffalo, who remains a holdout. The Lord of the Rings cast also got inked to mark the three films that they did together. The cast of Suicide Squad even received tattoos, despite only doing the one movie. It's understandable that after spending 10 years working on Harry Potter, that its triumvirate of co-leads would want to do the same. In an interview with The Mirror, Rupert Grint (who played Ron Weasley) said at the time:
There was talk between us about doing something like a tattoo. It would have been something subtle like Harry’s lightning scar. It would’ve been a great way of marking the end of filming.
A lightning bolt would’ve been perfect. It would be small and easily concealable, while also being a great tribute to the series. A little Deathly Hallows symbol also would’ve been a good pick, as it so specifically relates to the lore of the franchise. Designing something new and unique like the Avengers did could've also been neat. However, those tattoo dreams eventually died. While there may have been talk, they all never ended up going through with it. I suppose even a small tattoo was just too big of a commitment.
Why Daniel Radcliffe Was The Hold Out
It’s hard to commit to cast tattoos when Harry Potter himself doesn’t want to get inked. In a past interview with The Guardian, Daniel Radcliffe revealed he doesn’t have any intention of ever getting tatted. That's mostly because of the cover-up situation that would’ve had to take place while playing different characters, and the roles the Swiss Army Man actor has booked post Potter. He explained his aversion to body art, saying:
No, I've got to get a sustained series of jobs where I don't have to get naked. But I haven't hit one of them yet, for some reason. There was that first few years of my career when I was just doing Potter where there wasn't a huge amount of nudity. But since then it's been almost every job.
You might chuckle at the logic, but he makes a good point. Since Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe has taken a lot of projects that involve nudity like Horns and Equuis, which was a stage production. Because he had to show off his body for these roles, he prefers being a blank canvas (physically) in order to fully embody a character. Radcliffe has gone out of his way to take very different roles following HP, doing so to establish himself as a character actor. A lightning bolt tattoo probably would’ve been somewhat distracting for those watching him in the audience. Plus, the star probably also wanted to further distance himself from his iconic role.
Still, it's been so long since Potter finished and, at this point, all of the primary actors have taken on different roles and established themselves as versatile actors in their own right. The Imperium star is one of the most interesting character actors working today, seamlessly playing a kooky action movie villain in The Lost City and Weird Al Yankovic in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (despite any worries) all in one year. He hasn't done too much nudity in his more recent roles. All in all, he's come a long way since playing The Boy Who Live. Unfortunately though, I still think the tattoo ship has sailed.
You can catch Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe in all eight Harry Potter movies, which are streaming now with a Max subscription. Fans of Radcliffe can also check out his Emmy nominated performance in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story which is streaming on The Roku Channel.
